Turkish gözleme with spinach and cheese — thin flatbreads baked on a griddle

Gözleme is one of the best-known dishes of Turkish cuisine — thin dough flatbreads filled with various ingredients and baked on a saç, the traditional metal griddle. The spinach and cheese version is perhaps the most loved: simple, inexpensive and full of flavour.

Ingredients

For the dough (4 large flatbreads):

• 500 g wheat flour
• 300 ml lukewarm water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 7 g dry yeast (or 20 g fresh yeast)

For the filling:

• 400 g fresh spinach, washed and well drained
• 250 g white cheese (feta or soft Turkish cheese), crumbled
• 1 small onion, finely chopped (optional)
• 1 teaspoon red pepper (paprika)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Salt to taste
• Melted butter, for brushing the flatbreads after baking

Preparation

1. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water together with the sugar and leave it for 5–10 minutes, until it begins to foam.
2. Put the flour and salt in a large bowl, add the yeast water and the olive oil, and knead for 8–10 minutes, until you get a soft, elastic dough that does not stick to your hands.
3. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest for about 30 minutes in a warm place.
4. Meanwhile prepare the filling: fry the onion for 2–3 minutes in a little oil, add the spinach and cook until it wilts completely; drain it very well so that no liquid remains. Once it cools, mix it with the crumbled cheese, the paprika, the pepper and the salt.
5. Divide the dough into 4 equal balls and roll each one out with a rolling pin into a thin flatbread, about 30–35 cm in diameter.
6. Put the filling on one half of the flatbread, fold the other half over it and seal the edges well with your fingers so the filling does not come out during baking.
7. Heat a large pan (griddle) over medium heat, with no fat. Bake each flatbread for 3–4 minutes on each side, until it turns golden with light baked spots.
8. Brush the hot flatbreads with melted butter, cut them into triangular pieces and serve immediately — they go wonderfully with Turkish tea or with ayran. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.)

Preparation time: about 30 minutes (plus 30 minutes of dough resting) | Baking time: about 20 minutes | Servings: 4 large flatbreads (4–6 people)